Jaw-dropping new bodycam shows boy, 6, curse and threaten cops moments after he shot his teacher with gun he brought to school
Newly released bodycam footage shows the moments after a six-year-old shot his teacher at Richneck Elementary School in Virginia in January 2023. The case has drawn attention to warnings about the child’s behaviour and how school staff responded before the shooting.
The boy had taken his mother’s 9mm handgun to school and shot first-grade teacher Abigail Zwerner in the hand and chest, breaking bones and puncturing a lung. The footage shows reading specialist Amy Kovac holding him until police arrived; he admits taking the gun and shouts at officers. Zwerner filed a $40 million lawsuit against former assistant principal Ebony Parker, whose criminal charges were dismissed after a judge ruled her alleged conduct did not break the law.
- Bodycam shows the moments after a six-year-old shot his teacher.
- The boy brought his mother’s 9mm handgun to school.
- A judge dismissed criminal charges against former assistant principal Ebony Parker.
New here? Start with this
In January 2023, a six-year-old boy brought a handgun to Richneck Elementary School in Virginia and shot his first-grade teacher, Abigail Zwerner, in the hand and chest. The injuries were serious, including broken bones and a punctured lung.
The shooting raised questions about how school staff had responded to prior concerns about the boy's behaviour and whether appropriate steps were taken to prevent him bringing a weapon to school. These warning signs and the school's handling of them became central to discussions about how the incident could have been prevented.
Teacher Abigail Zwerner has filed a $40 million lawsuit against Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal, though Parker's criminal charges were dismissed after a judge ruled her conduct did not break the law. The case continues to draw attention to questions of school safety and staff responsibility.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The school had documented warnings about this child's behavioural concerns, yet staff failed to escalate appropriately through parents, counsellors, or authorities. Institutions have a duty of care to act upon known risk factors, and accountability for such failures drives robust safety protocols and appropriate intervention. Whilst the parent bears ultimate responsibility for the unsecured firearm, the school's missed opportunity to intervene more forcefully represents negligence worth legal remedy.
The case against
Schools cannot reasonably be held liable for failing to prevent acts they could not have anticipated, particularly when the direct wrongdoing—storing a firearm unsecured—lies entirely with the parent. Staff operated within real legal and practical constraints and cannot extensively monitor or restrict children based on behavioural concerns without proper legal authority. The judge correctly recognised that the assistant principal's conduct, whilst perhaps not optimal, did not violate the law; true accountability must rest with those who actually brought the weapon into the school.